A RARE REPOUSSE GILT-METAL RECTANGULAR RELIQUARY BOX OR SUTRA CASE

Details

A RARE REPOUSSE GILT-METAL RECTANGULAR RELIQUARY BOX OR SUTRA CASE
YUAN DYNASTY

The hinged cover surmounted by an oval loop and chased in high relief on the front of its envelope-like closure with two cranes flanking a boy holding a duck while its mate looks on from the rippling water of the foreground of the lotus pond which forms the setting, the upper register of the case incised with six roundels, each enclosing a "P'ags-pa" character, borne on scrolling, leafy tendrils reserved on a ring-punched ground, separated by a V-shaped band from a small tortoise-form clasp which swivels to either side and centers a scene of a lotus pond where two boys hold lotus stalks and a pair of ducks swim amidst the lotus plants, all above a wave border at the bottom edge, the reverse similarly decorated and the narrow sides incised with bands of 'classic scroll', worn through in several areas, cuprous oxide encrustation--4½in. (10.4cm.) long, box

Further details

See illustrations of two views

Lot Essay

The thinness of the metal and the amount of cuprous oxide encrustation may indicate that the metal beneath the gilding is copper

The theme of the lotus pond, which became very popular in the Song Dynasty, has strong associations with Buddhism and belief in rebirth in paradise. In Buddhist art, souls of the reborn are depicted sitting on lotus blossoms. Here, the pond is depicted in a naturalistic manner much as seen in Song art, with ducks and cranes among the aquatic plants. The six characters written underneath the cover appear to be a Tibetan (or P'ags-pa) inscription of the mantra "Om mani padme hum", which refers to the sacred and universal symbolism of the lotus. This can be seen to reflect the strong Tibetan influence in China in the Yuan Dynasty under Mongol rule. During this time, the so-called "P'ags-pa" script, adapted from Tibetan by the Tibetan monk of that name, was used for transcribing Chinese sounds